Easter Fun

We had a wonderful Easter weekend.  We started with quite possibly the best Cubs game in the world!  I was nervous about the weather, but we had 65 degree and sunny weather- amazing after a week of depressing 30 degree weather, rainy and snowy mix..... best seats ever- about 15 feet from the bullpen (thanks Dan and Sarah!), great friends, good food and a classic Cubs win versus the Dodgers!  Go Cubs Go!  Later, Chris and I decided we should dye eggs- not really sure why since this is mostly a kids activity, but we decided we eat hard boiled eggs anyway and this was cheap entertainment.  We chose to make the eggs "vibrant" and only used vinegar- I would highly recommend this option!  The Easter Bunny paid a visit to our house and brought Elliott a big blue bunny.   Chris found a Thor statue mug and straw in his Easter basket.  This was a great photo opportunity.   Usually, we take about 30-40 pictures and only post the best 1 or 2.  With this photo shoot, I couldn't help but laugh at almost all of them, so this will give you a good flavor of the photo shoot.  As you can tell, Elliott went through quite the range of emotions!  We ended the day with yummy food at the Piekos house. 



Hard at work





Surprised...



Confused

A little grumpy

Quite the wiggle worm

Almost happy

Sad



Sadder



*&%#@ What are you guys doing?!

I will be in front of the bunny!

Finally, a good one!

We are done here!

Mommy: open your eyes! Even Elliott can get it right!

Uncle Dan

Uncle Matt

5 Months Old

Elliott went to an Easter egg hunt this weekend in our neighborhood and while mommy and daddy didn't know anyone, Elliott saw his daycare friend, Quinn!  Quinn and Elliott were holding hands at the egg hunt, while other mommies and daddies indulged in yummy food and beverages!  It was so cute... too bad I did not have the camera with me to capture the moment.   April 15th- tax day, marked Elliott's 5 month birthday.  Elliott is starting to get a few teeth and is doing surprisingly well with the teething process.  Our daycare teachers were relieved when I brought them baby food to feed Elliott, because they say he is a very greedy eater.  Apparently, he seemed very hungry and is now finally content with rice cereal, baby food and multiple bottles throughout the day.  Chris lowered his crib this weekend, because we both happened to notice his head was almost sticking up over the top of the crib.  Elliott seems like he is getting close to crawling, he is constantly kicking his legs and can easily rotate on his tummy. 

5 months old

First taste of green beans!

Bottom teeth getting ready to pop through!



Spring is in full bloom at our house!



Whistle while you work

Elliott has been very funny lately.  He is big enough to use his Exersaucer and really likes playing in it.   Everytime Elliott starts playing with a toy, he gets very serious.  He starts by really focusing on the toy and intensely trying to grab it.   He has a blank stare of his face or looks as if he is too busy and can't be interrupted with what he is doing.  Chris refers to his play time as work and Elliott is always wanting to get right back to work after hanging out with us.   Here are a few pictures of his serious work faces. 



Same toy- different configuration...what a difference 4 months make!



Dallas, here we come!

The past year has been quite the whirlwind for us.  In 2010, we bought our home in Glen Ellyn, moved, rented our condo, put extensive sweat equity into our home, Chris traveled to China, together we traveled to 8 different states, and had a baby!  We were ready to settle down and have a nice quiet year, but that plan has changed.  After much deliberation and many pro and con lists, we decided to take the plunge and relocate to Dallas.  We are so sad to leave behind our friends, family and wonderful neighborhood in the midwest, but this is a huge opportunity and a new adventure for the Piekos Family to take on!   This is going to bring about so many more changes, but hopefully good ones!  I will be taking a new job with my company and Chris will be working for a new company.  Elliott will be meeting new friends and hopefully learning to speak without a southern accent!  Just kidding.... y'all, get ready, we're fixin' to have a great time!    We are excited that Dallas is warmer, cheaper, and home to an amazing football stadium- although we will always remain Bear's fans! 

We were nervous about selling our house, but thankfully, we were able to sell our house quickly and will be moving to Dallas at the end of May.  We took this as a good sign that this move is the right thing to do.  The good news is that there are many flights to Chicago and we plan to visit as often as possible.  Please, let us know if you are ever in Dallas, we would love to have a visitor. 



Bundled up for a walk



Poor Elliott- needing some breathing theapy after a bad cough.

Cereal time

Picture Day!

Well, the pictures turned out pretty well.  Elliott is quite the photogenic guy.  Elliott's daycare teachers wetted down his hair for the pictures, but for some reason he kicked off his socks!   Let's be honest, it would not have mattered how these pictures turned out, we would have bought them anyway.  Who can resist buying them when they give you an envelope of pictures already printed and ready to buy?!

4 months old

Elliott is 4 months old now!  He did so well at the doctor's office and cried for only a few seconds during his shots.  His growth looks really good- 14 pounds and 1 ounce; 26 inches and 1/2 inches... this puts him in the 30th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height.  This weekend, Elliott experienced rice cereal.   He loves drinking bottles, but wasn't so sure about the cereal.  

Chillin' with Uncle Dan

4 Months Old!



Helping Mommy with some housework



 









Springtime around our house

St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is amazing in Chicago!  The river is dyed green and the whole city comes alive.  There are all kinds of people who show up for the festivities... it really doesn't matter if you are Irish or not. We were in the city on Saturday and took the Metra train, which was more like a party train... complete with the smell of Red Bull and Vodka filling the air!    Elliott had a St. Patrick's Day party today at daycare and brought home green play dough (no, he did not play with it, instead Mommy squished it to relieve stress)